Tuesday, December 08, 2009

"The Hill" newspaper is reporting on something that is important but will likely not see much corporate media attention. House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers (D-MI), an early supporter of Barack Obama and someone who WMR has been told by a Conyers staffer has been very close to Obama socially, has reportedly received a nasty phone call from the President. Obama apparently feels "demeaned" by Conyers's criticism of Obama over the Afghanistan surge, the lack of a vigorous public option for Obama's proposed national health care reforms, the failure of the White House to release photographic and video evidence of torture of detainees by U.S. military and intelligence personnel, and the failure by Obama to close the Guantanamo detention center on schedule.

This editor, who has covered Conyers for some 20 years, has, in the past, been critical of the Michigan Democrat for not using his chairmanship to put pressure on both Bush and Obama. However, when a congressman with the seniority of Conyers gets a nasty phone call from Obama, who apparently is sensitive to criticism from his left flank, Conyers deserves a hearty congratulations for a job well done.

Conyers's, WMR has been told, previously enjoyed an open door into the Oval Office. It is not certain if that door remains open with an apparently thin-skinned Obama carping over Conyers's criticisms.

This, of course, is more of a reason to turn out for the first major anti-war demonstration held at the White House during Obama's presidency. The protest will be held from 11:00 am to 4 pm on Saturday, December 12. WMR will be providing wall-to-wall coverage of the demonstration.

Last Saturday, former Alaska Governor and GOP pin-up girl Sarah Palin signed books in Fairfax, Virginia, near Washington, DC. The store where Palin signed copies of her "Going Rogue" book is called "BJ's." We are not making this up.

Living up to his role as a strong defender of his one-time employer in New York City, the CIA (via CIA front company Business International Corporation), Barack Obama reportedly put pressure on visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to free jailed member of the shadowy Turkish nationalist and pan-Turkic group Ergenekon, which stands accused of attempting three military coups against Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP). Ergenekon's tentacles extend throughout the Turkish MIT intelligence service, the military, and police force.

It is known that Ergenekon, which has its roots in a Gladio-style "stay behind" network set up by the CIA to conduct behind-the-lines sabotage in the event of a Soviet invasion of Turkey, has links to the CIA and Mossad and has conducted a number of false flag terrorist attacks in Turkey that were blamed on the Kurdish PKK insurgent group. Israel and the neocons are increasingly frustrated with Erdogan's criticisms of the Israeli attack on Gaza and his refusal to consider more sanctions against Iran.